A “House of Pain” awaits the Isuzu Southern Kings when they face the Dragons at the Rodney Parade in Newport on Saturday.
That was the warning Dragons hooker Richard Hibbard directed at the Kings as his team prepare for their Guinness PRO14 clash.
“We are not going to win every game, but we want teams to dread coming here to Newport. They must know that they have been in a game and have a few bruises,” Hibbard told WalesOnline.
Hibbard, whose big hits were influential in Wales’s 2013 Six Nations title win and the British Lions’ conquest of Australia a few months later, has called on his Dragons teammates to start hurting opponents.
“As a team, not just as a pack, we want to be physically abrasive and want to hurt teams,” Hibbard said
“We want them to not look forward to coming to the Rodney Parade.”
Dragons coach Bernard Jackman was abused by disgruntled home fans when his team went down 21-17 to Italian outfit Benetton last weekend, and he knows his job could be on the line if his team fail again.
The defeat means the Dragons have lost eight in a row.
The Welsh side have recruited heavily and are desperate to end their losing streak.
Wales internationals Ross Moriarty, Hibbard and Rhodri Williams are the showpiece signings and will want to get their new team back on the winning track.
Moriarty, who was the star of Wales’ summer successes against SA and Argentina, is poised to make his debut against the Kings after serving a suspension for a late dismissal against the Pumas.
Kings coach Deon Davids will have a few matters to ponder as he weighs up his options for the second game.
He will be pleased that skipper Michael Willemse is expected to be fit after taking a knock to the jaw against Zebre.
Willemse was replaced in the 45th minute by Alandre van Rooyen, and there were fears that he might be sidelined for the Dragons clash.
“Michael is improving well and is expected to be fit to play against Dragons.,” team doctor Gershwin Kortje said.
“There are no other injury concerns at this time.”
Another option for Davids is to hand former Springbok wing Bjorn Basson a start after leaving him out of his squad for the Zebre game.
Basson joined the Kings from French team Oyonnax and will give Davids strong options at fullback and wing.
Basson, who played 11 Tests for the Springboks, is a widely travelled player who has valuable experience of playing in European conditions.
He has been on the sidelines for some time since his last match for Oyonnax, and his fitness levels may be of some concern to Davids.